Wednesday, June 04, 2003"Ungrateful Heart," by Dominic
Chianese,Uncle Junior on "The Sopranos"

The "Ungrateful Heart" CD
by Dominic Chianese was released Tuesday.Fifteen songs are in Italian.
An original tune, and one other are in English.Dom has a really "thin"
voice, and CAN NOT sing in tune!!!He may single-handedly have
set back Italian Ballads a millennium!!!!!

Judge for yourself. Following
the article, there is a "hyperlink" to a site to hearmost? (more than you might
be able to handle) of the album, with Real Player.

Am I too harsh??

On another Note: AOL reports:
"The amount of outpouring we've seen from AOL on the message boards, the
number of hits there have been is astronomical to me for an album of Italian
songs."

What conclusion would you
draw from that statement, after you hear his voice????========================================================AOL Gets Into The Record
Act

Los Angeles TimesSunday, June 1, 2003Calendar Section, Popeye

If the AOL Time Warner conglomerate
does un-merge, as has been speculated, the America Online side of the split
may still have a hand in the record business. AOL is for the first time
a full partner in releasing an album, and plans to seek out independent
labels and artists for similar deals.

AOL has joined as a partner
with the Grandstand Entertainment label for "Ungrateful Heart," a collection
of Italian-originated standards sung by Dominic Chianese. He plays elderly
Uncle Junior on "The Sopranos," which airs on HBO, an AOL Time Warner cable
channel. The album is due in stores Tuesday.

Bill Wilson, vice president
and general manager of AOL Music, says this is a natural step from AOL
campaigns that helped launch Michelle Branch and Avril Lavigne, and in
turn spurred the Internet giant's monthly First Break program for new artists.

"We have a formal equity
and marketing relationship with this," Wilson says. "This is an opportunity
to show what we can do in partnering. The question is always how do you
put it in front of people. The fact that we have 15 million people who
are with AOL gives us an advantage."

This is not exactly a blueprint
pop-chart project, but the early results are noteworthy. Chianese has already
taped a "Sessions @ AOL" interview and performance program, served as the
host of an online radio station and been featured on several other sites
within AOL. It's exposure that Grandstand President Ken Levy credits for
substantial pre-orders through Amazon.com.

"Here's an album that's 15
Italian songs and one original," says Levy, who was head of creative services
for Arista Records for 15 years.

"The amount of outpouring
we've seen from AOL on the message boards, the number of hits there have
been is astronomical to me for an album of Italian songs."

Wilson hopes this will demonstrate
AOL's potential for working with other artists who don't make a good fit
in the current major-label world.

"We're talking to artists
who have come off of major record deals," he says.

"It affords opportunities
for artists setting up their own labels who have distribution outlets but
no marketing and promotion. I think you'll see us doing things along these
lines in the next six to eight months with artists who have had great careers
but may not be million-sellers now."========================================================>From Grandstand Entertainment's
Press Release in part:

On
this new CD, Dominic explores his extraordinary aggressive vocal range
[RAA Note: WHAT???? You have to be Kidding!!!!!]while using his acoustic
guitar as the CD’s centerpiece.

Dedicated
to his Grandfather Dominico, this CD features 19 Italian intimate and familiar
classics including “Core ngrato” (Ungrateful Heart) the title track,
which Dominic performed on the 3rd season finale of the Sopranos.

“I
grew up in New York City in the 30’s and 40’s. My strongest memory
of my grandfather is when he sang these passionate songs out of the window
facing the Hudson River from his third story apartment. I will never forget
this vision”.

Also
included on this ultimate romantic collection are “Parla Piu Piano”
(Speak Softly Love from The Godfather), “O Sole Mio,” the inspiration
for Elvis Presley’s “It’s Now or Never”, and the sentimental “Mama”.
Also, included are two English tracks “Song a Napolitano” which was
written by Dominic and “Funiculi, Funicula”.=========================================================Listen
to the "Ungrateful Heart" CD, Heart Wrenching Italian BalladsNetscape
Musichttp://channels.netscape.com/ns/music/ch/styles/world.jsp?floc=MU-STYLE-HOME-WRL=========================================================